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Years for record retention for freelance and official notes

  • 12 Mar 2014 12:14 AM
    Message # 1515898
    Anonymous
    I am hearing different versions of how long to keep our notes after reporting.
    Official reporters, I believe I've heard, it is ten years for transcribed notes and 15 years for untranscribed notes.
    For freelancers, I've heard ten years if untranscribed and I believe a year after notes are transcribed.
    What's the correct answer for these questions?  I can't seem to go directly to the answer for them.
    Last modified: 12 Mar 2014 12:14 AM | Anonymous
  • 13 Mar 2014 8:56 AM
    Reply # 1516816 on 1515898
    The answer is somewhat of a wild goose chase, but it can be found in the Manual for Court Reporters/Recorders, Section 2: Chapter 7: Records Maintenance, which sends you to the Michigan Trial Court Case File Management Standards, which sends you to MCL 600.2137(3)], which in short form says:

    For circuit court matters, it's 15 years for all felony cases; 10 years for all others.  Since officials don't usually separate their civil steno notes from the criminal notes, saving them for 15 years is the safest bet.  If a transcript is produced, then the steno notes only have to be kept for a year.   
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